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Stephanie Marquardt
Contemplation & Action
17 March 2015

Shiva vs. Buddhist Wheel

The sculpture of Shiva, Lord of the Dance and the Buddhist Wheel of Existence
are both similar in their purpose. The way in which they help one understand and reach
salvation both include a triad of practices. Their sacred texts also share similarities. The
shape given to both the sculpture and the applique is relatively the same. These two
pieces differ in the material sense and size as well as the location. The trinities on which
both religions are based differ due to one small factor. Each sacred object also belongs to
a different religion.
The first way in which these two objects are similar is the way in which they
educate the audience. The purpose of Shiva is to educate people about his role in the
Hindu religion and the Buddhist Wheel of Existence is there to educate people about
Buddhism. Shiva is seen as the Destroyer and god of the yogis, or practitioners of yoga.
The actual wheel depicted in the applique includes a god known as Yama, who is also
known as being wrathful and judgmental of the dead. Shiva holds a damaru (hand drum)
in one of his two right hands that is thought to make the sound of creation. In the other
right hand, he makes a gesture known as abjaya, which means to remove fear, protect and
preserve. There is also a Buddha included on the wheel applique as well as the six
domains of desire as defined by the Buddhist religion. The fire in Shivas one left hand is
known as agni or the consuming fire of dynamic destruction. There is a small figure

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underneath of the right foot of Shiva, which stands for the personification of the illusions
that lead humankind astray. He points his left foot (gaja hasta) to provide refuge for the
troubled souls. Finally, there is a ring of fire around Shiva known as prabhamandala,
which symbolizes the boundaries of the cosmos. The final parts of the Buddhist Wheel of
Existence are the three roots of evil.
Another thing that these two objects share a similarity in would be the use of a
triad of practices they use to reach salvation. The triad in Hinduism is known as marga
and the triad in Buddhism is known as magga. In marga, the three ways to reach
salvation are known as bhakti marga (self-surrender, full devotion to God and only God),
jnana marga (knowledge through studying sacred texts) and karma marga (action
through performance of religious and ethical duties). In magga, the three ways to reach
salvation are known as wisdom (samma ditthi, samma sankappa), ethical conduct
(samma vaca, samma kammanta, samma ajiva) and meditation (samma vayama, samma
sati, samma samadhi). These triads are one of the main bases of the different religions.
Another similarity that they both share is their sacred texts. In Hinduism the
sacred text is known as the Vedas. It includes four books: Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, AtharvaVeda, and Yajur-Veda. The sacred text in Buddhism is known as the Dhammapada. This
text includes a collection of sayings from the Buddha and other Buddhist writings. The
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta is another text that has a record of the first teaching by
Buddha after he gained enlightenment.
A final similarity that they share would be their shapes. Shiva, Lord of the Dance
is surrounded by a halo, or ring of fire. The Buddhist Wheel of Existence is shaped in a
circular fashion with Yama holding it in place. The circular shapes in these sacred objects

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provide a feeling of continuity, which relates to the ideas of reincarnation (Hinduism) and
enlightenment (Buddhism).
Moving onto the differences, one of the main differences between the two objects
are their size and what they are composed of. Shiva, Lord of the Dance is a small
sculpture that stands 26 and 7/8 inches high, whereas the Buddhist Wheel of Existence is a
rather large silk applique that measures 111.5in x 80in. The sculpture of Shiva is made of
a copper alloy, turned greenish from exposure to moisture. The Buddhist Wheel of
Existence on the other hand is a large silk applique, full of dark yet vibrant colors. These
objects are also different in their attention to detail. The sculpture of Shiva is simple in a
sense, whereas the Buddhist Wheel of Existence is more complex and intricate
Another difference that they have is their time and places. Shiva was around ca.
860-1279 (11th century). It is located in Tamil Nadu, India. The Buddhist Wheel of
Existence was around in the 1800s. It is located in Eastern Tibet in China. After
rechecking a calculation done by a fellow classmate, it was determined that these two
objects were not only several hundred years apart, but also 1,509 miles apart.
A third difference between the two sacred objects would be the basis of their
trinities. In Hinduism, it is known as the Trimurti, and includes their three gods: Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva. In Buddhism, it is known as Tilakhanaq, which refers to the three
principles of existence on which Buddhism is built: annica (doctrine of impermanence),
dukkha (process of suffering) and anatt (absence of self). The small difference between
these two trinities is that Hinduism is polytheistic and Buddhism is more atheist in a
sense, but not entirely.

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To conclude the comparison and contrasting of Shiva, Lord of the Dance and the
Buddhist Wheel of Existence, they share as many similarities as they do differences.
However, these comparisons and contrasts do not change them or the meaning they
present to the world. They are both sacred to their religion and provide a sense of
continuity in the lives they touch.